Dark Jungle
by The Geek Ruler
Summary: Helen, Will, and Ashley go into the Central American rain forest to find a reptilian creature, but run in to more than they bargained for. Some Helen/Will and Helen/John.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sanctuary characters and I make no profit from this story. None of the original characters of this story are based on real life people. The plot of this story is straight out of my imagination. If it resembles any other published work, it is by pure coincedence.

Author's note: To best understand this story, you have to have seen all of the episodes of the tv show Sanctuary up through The Five. I haven't described any of the main Sanctuary characters, so if you don't know what they look like, you should go look them up. This is my first published fanfic and even though I edited, errors do get by me, so bare with me. There are spoilers for Sanctuary in this, so be warned. Please enjoy the stary. :)

Jungle Secrets

"I can't believe you guys talked me into this," Will Zummerman complained as he wiped another cob web from his face.

"You said you wanted to be involved in the missions more," Ashley said as she slashed at another wall of plants that blocked their path with her large machete.

"Me and my big mouth," Will muttered and followed close behind Ashley.

Helen Magnus smiled and followed her daughter and employee. They were deep in the rainforest of Central America following a report of large reptile creatures, Slis, that had been attacking the local tribes. Will, Ashley, three local guides, and she had been traveling deep into the jungle for 2 days now and had had no luck finding the creature so far. Ashley was happily leading the expedition with her new machete, chopping down plants and trees that got in the way. Will was asking an avalanche of questions and she was collecting plant samples between answers.

Magnus couldn't help but notice, though, that the farther the group entered into the jungle, the more anxious the local guides got. When he dropped back to walk with her in a rare clearing she asked Will what he thought.

"Yah I've noticed too. They only seem to get anxious when we head east. I think there's something they're hiding, but when I asked them, they would change the subject. Do you think they know where the creatures are and just aren't telling us?"

"I don't know. Keep an eye out for trouble," Helen replied. Will nodded to her and he walked ahead to join Ashley.

They hiked steadily forward for another hour through twisted vines before Ashley raised her hand and stopped the group. Standing tall before them was a giant statue of a humanoid creature with fangs. Its paint was faded, but still easy to see. Vines grew out of cracks in it. Its eyes stared at them, daring them to try and pass it.

"That's amazing!" Will whispered as he studied it. "It's probably hundreds of years old."

"Yes, it is amazing. Explorers have been finding these kinds of statues for many years near temples. Rarely is one found in such good condition," Helen said stepping closer. "The detail is breath taking. It almost looks alive."

Ashley stood aside and Helen walked up to it. She reached out a hand to touch the ancient stone of the statue, but her wrist was grabbed in a vice like grip before her fingers touched it. Turning, she saw it was one of the guides, Napon, holding her back. His eyes were wide with fear and she could see his muscles were tensed to run.

"Let go of my wrist," Helen said calmly, but firmly to the man in his native tongue. He responded by gripping harder and speaking rapidly back.

"Mom, is everything O.K.?" Ashley asked. Her gun was drawn and aimed at Napon.

"Hush, Ashley," Helen replied as she tried to listen to Napon's frantic speech, often having him repeat what he said. When he was done talking he released her wrist and stepped back farther away from the statue.

"What did he say?" Will asked, stepping casually, but deliberately between Helen and the guides.

"He said the statue was cursed and that anyone who passes beyond it is assured death," Helen replied as she rubbed circulation back into her wrist. "He said there is a cursed tribe that lives beyond here that was banished from the graces of their gods in the beginning of time. He also said that is where the greatest concentration of Slis live. He urges us to turn around now while we still can. He refuses to come with us if we choose to go further into the banished tribes land."

"Can't we go on our own from here? If this is the largest concentration of Slis we should be able to find one in a decent amount of time and bring it back. We can leave the guides to watch the supplies until we come back," Will suggested. "They don't have to go into 'cursed' land and we still get our creature."

"An excellent idea," Helen agreed and turned to tell the guides. The relief on their faces at not having to go was beyond measuring. The guides agreed and stared walking to a safe distance to set up camp. "We still need to be cautious, though. These curses are rarely completely fictional," Helen said to the group. Ashley and Will nodded their understanding.

Ashley turned and stared to cut a path through the jungle along the side of the statue. Will followed her. Helen took one more look around before following her daughter and friend. A chill ran down her back as she passed the statue. It almost looked like it laughed at them and knew that they were doomed. Helen continued to walk and hoped that the statue was wrong.

Helen, Will, and Ashley noticed the difference as soon as they passed the boundary created by the statue. The jungle seemed darker, the sounds quieter, the air heavier. No matter what she told herself, Helen couldn't shake the feeling of dread she had felt since they passed the statue. Will was quietly observing the surrounding trees and Ashley had been fiddling with the gun at her hip more often than was usual.

Looking up, Helen noticed that the light filtering through the tree tops was starting to fade, soon it would be night. Ashley stopped and followed her gaze upward.

"We should start looking for a place to spend the night," Ashley said taking her eyes off the waning light.

"Would you take care of that?" Helen asked.

"Sure thing, Mom," Ashley answered and walked off to find a spot to put a shelter.

Helen took off her pack and rolled the soreness out of her shoulders. Will walked over and took his pack off, setting it by hers. He lifted his arms over his head and stretched like a cat. For a moment his shirt was pulled taut against his chest and Helen couldn't help but notice his sleek figure. She quickly diverted her eyes and fiddled with her pack as warmth touched her cheeks.

"So, is it just me or is this placing creepy," Will said completely unaware of Helen's momentary embarrassment.

"It does seem to have a foreboding feeling to it," Helen replied, composure back in place. She looked around and saw the shadows darkening. Ashley was barely visible as she cleared an area for the tents. Like at the statue a shiver a small shiver ran down her spine and a cold feeling sat in her stomach. Something didn't feel right. When she turned back to Will, she noticed that he was looking at her.

"Are you O.K.?" He finally asked. His eyebrows were pulled together in a look of concern.

"Fine," Helen replied and gave him a reassuring smile. He gave her a look like he didn't quite believe her, but dropped the questioning.

"Hey! Aren't you guys going to help me with this?" Ashley yelled from the small clearing she had made. Helen and Will exchanged looks before picking up their packs and walking over to their new camp sight.

A half hour later two tents were erected, a small fire built, and food cooked over the open flames. The fire was a comfort to Helen, a warm glow in a strange, dark place. Will and Ashley had forgotten their feelings of unease for the moment as they happily bantered back and for the in a battle of wits. Watching them made a smile touch her lips.

"You know, I'm really liking these cargo pants we all get to wear. I might start wearing them every day. Whoever designed them was a genius," Will commented.

"Thank you. I designed them myself," Ashley said airily. "12 pockets with two specially designed knife sheaths built in. They're made of rip-stop fabric that is stain resistant, fire resistant and in a fashionable black for me and mom. We got you kaki, thought you might like that better."

Only half listening to the conversation, Helen looked up and saw a small hole in the canopy of the trees. Tiny stars peeked through the leaves and twinkled down at her. It was at times like these she missed John. He had often taken her star gazing and they would pick out the constellations together. Just thinking about the memories caused her heart to ache.

"Hey, Magnus," Will said through her thoughts. She turned to him and saw that he and Ashley were watching her.

"Sorry, Will. I was thinking. Did you need something," Helen asked.

"I was just going to offer you some tea before we head to bed," Will said back.

"No, thank you. I think I'll turn in for the night also. Ashley, will you take the first watch?" She nodded her head. "I'll second watch and Will you can take third," Helen said standing.

"O.K.," Will said "Night, Magnus.

"Good night, Will."

"Night, Mom," Ashley said before taking her gun and heading towards the perimeter of the camp.

"Good night, Ashley," Helen said back. She watched her daughter go for a second before heading into the tent she and Ashley shared.

Helen rolled out her sleeping bag and took off her boots. She crawled into the bag and let out a breath. Slowly, she fell asleep.

In the morning, Helen, Ashley, and Will ate a quick breakfast and packed up the camp. The jungle still held a dark mood about it, but the morning sunlight had given them new hope at finding the Slis. Ashley again took point and continued her battle against the vegetation with her machete. Helen and Will hung back discussed what they would do once they found the creature.

"You did bring a radio or something, right?" Will said giving Helen a glance as he bent under a tree limb. "I really don't want to have to carry that lizard back through the forest."

"Yes, Will, I did bring a radio. Bigfoot is monitoring a sanctuary satellite that has been redirected to orbit over us while we are out here. We will have to drag the Slis to a proper location, but a helicopter will be flown in to take the creature back to the sanctuary." Helen explained.

"And you brought lot of tranquilizer rounds with the radios, I hope."

"Yes, Will. We come prepared when we do creature hunts."

"Don't worry Will, I've got your back," Ashley said ahead of them as she took an extra hard whack at a stubborn bush.

"You know, somehow that doesn't comfort me much," Will said back.

Helen stopped listening to the conversation as Ashley and Will teased each other. They had been walking for about two hours now and were coming to the base of a large cliff, just entering the shadow it cast. Taking out a satellite map Helen saw that the only way past in any reasonable amount of time was to go through a narrow passage that wound its way through the cliff up to the top.

The knot in Helen's stomach from the previous night had not gone away as she had hoped it would. She still felt a sense of dread, but couldn't pin it on any one cause. This passage way was the only way to get past the cliff without hiking 4 miles in the wrong direction. They had to get to the swamp in a day to search for the creatures or they would have to turn around for supplies. Even though the pass felt wrong to her, Helen showed Ashley the map and the group headed through the pass.

The sun was blocked in the pass making it dark and dangerous travel. A quarter of the way through the pass, flashlights were taken out. The pass eventually became too narrow to travel two across and they had to form a single line. The air was moist and water dripped from stone shelves rock walls.

Helen couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She looked around with her flashlight, but saw nothing. Ashley and Will were quiet ahead of her, slowly picking their way through the rocks.

_Crack._

Instantly alert, Helen pulled out her gun and swung around to find the noise. All was still. Turning to Ashley she saw her daughter also had her gun out and was looking for anything hostile. When Ashley turned to Helen, she shook her head. She couldn't find the source of the noise either.

"It was probably just a loose rock that fell," Will whispered to Helen.

"Perhaps, but we should keep our weapons out, just in case," Helen replied.

They continued forward and ran their flashlights over every inch of the passage. Eventually, the passage opened up into a small cavern that was about five people widths wide. The air grew still and the only thing that could be heard was the footfalls of the group and their breathing.

A hiss and the sound of claws scratching stone were the only warning sounds Helen got before a giant weight slammed onto her back causing her to fall. Helen gasped as she hit the rocky floor. The weight fell off and landed by her. She sat up and pointed her gun at the creature by her, but it swiped at her hand with lightning fast claws and knocked the gun from her hands. Pain flared in her right hand and her left hand came away from it covered in blood. Three deep gashes bleed slowly on the back of her hand. A bang filled the passage. The creature, which had braced for a second attack fell limp.

Ashley stood over it with her smoking gun, ready to shoot again. A low hissing noise filled the cavern as more lizard like creatures crawled towards the pool of light caused by the flashlights. Ashley pointed her gun at the advancing creatures. Helen pulled out one of her long knives, her hand forgotten. The creatures came closer.

A wild whoop came from ahead in the passage and a large group of young men streamed down it. Several piled on to a ledge and set balls of what looked to Helen like grass on fire. They then threw it into the sea of creatures. The smoke and light from the balls made the creatures shrink back and hiss. Eventually they all turned and crawled back into the darkness of the passageway.

Helen sighed in relief and turned to the young men who had saved them. She quickly met the tip of a knocked arrow. All of the young men had their weapons drawn and pointed at them. Ashley had her gun out and aimed at the closest man. Helen turned and saw that some of the men had climbed the rocks and were now behind them on the trail, surrounding them.

They were all young, tall, and strong with black hair, olive skin, and brown eyes. None of them wore clothing over their torsos, but had brightly beaded loin clothes and leather sandals. Many were covered in feathers and other bead work. Their chests had a large tribal painting of a frog on them and red paint across their eyes. They were either armed with knives, blow guns, or arrows, the latter two probably poisonous.

Helen slowly rose from her sitting position. One of the warriors, for that is all they could be, stepped forward from the group with a large machete like sword in his hands. He spoke in a rough voice for a few seconds before falling silent and watching them.

"We come in peace," Helen said in the native language of the guides. "There is no need for violence. We only wish…" The rest of her sentence was cut off by a quick word from the lead warrior. Using his sword he pointed at her knife and Ashley's gun and made a sharp downward stroke with it.

"I think he wants us to drop our weapons," Will whispered. He had his hands raised to chest level with his palms facing the warriors.

"Drop my gun? Hell no," Ashley whispered back.

"Ashley," Helen said in a warning voice, "just do it." With that, she slowly bent down and placed her knife on the ground. Ashley held her gun at the warriors a second longer before following her mother's lead with a frustrated growl. Helen raised her hands, palms out, and stood before the warrior leader.

The leader looked behind the group and motioned to the warriors behind them. Two of warriors came up and took off all of the weapons Helen, Will, or Ashley still had on them. Ashley had considerably more than Will of Helen combined. After that, the lead warrior gave orders to the rest of the warriors and they started walking back up the passage way they had come from with Helen, Will, and Ashley in tow.

They walked for several hours through the jungle. None of the warriors spoke and Helen, Will, and Ashley followed in silence. Occasionally, two or three of the warriors would go off to hunt and return with a few birds or a boar.

Helen was just starting to wonder if they would ever reach the village when they finally entered it. Grass and mud huts formed a sort of circle around a center clearing with a second, larger ring of huts around the first. Women sat at cook fires talking and children played with a small leather ball a short distance away. Young girls sat weaving blankets or spinning thread.

When the young warriors entered the small village, they all grew still and watched. The little children were herded into nearby houses. Older men walked out of the shelters and came to meet the warriors. One of them had on a beautiful headdress and walked up to the warrior leader. The other warriors stopped a short distance away, keeping their weapons trained on Helen, Will, and Ashley.

The older man spoke to the young warrior in hushed tones. Helen watched as they spoke. They appeared to be arguing. Then the older one straightened and walked over to the group young warriors. He said a few words in his native tongue and the group broke up. Some headed back out into the forest while others took the dead prey they had hunted behind one of the huts. HE then turned to the villagers and spoke to them. They all relaxed and went about their duties as before.

The man turned to Helen and said, "Hello. My name is Chief Koma. Welcome to my village." Helen was surprised. His English was very good even with his heavy accent.

"Hello. My name is Helen Magnus. This is my daughter Ashley and my employee Will," Helen said. Ashley and Will nodded once to the chief as they were introduced. Koma smiled and gestured with his hand.

He led them to one of the larger shelters on the other side of the village. It was large and spacious. Colorful cushions lined the walls and candles were lit in the corners. He walked over to one of the larger cushions and sat down. Hesitantly, Helen sat across from him and Ashley and Will did the same.

"Are you hungry?" Koma asked motioning a woman from outside in. She brought in a tray and set it in front of Koma with a pitcher of water and several cups.

"No, thank you," Helen replied. Koma nodded and took a fruit. "I'm impressed with your English. Who taught you the language?"

"A trader long ago came and I learned it from him," Koma said. "So what are you doing in our territory?"

Helen took a breath before explaining, "we are looking for a creature that lives here. We collect and study different creatures around the world and study them."

"And you wish to…catch one of these creatures you are looking for."

"That is correct."

"Then we will help you," Koma said smiling. "You may stay here in the village until you catch your creature."

"Thank you, Chief Koma," Helen replied. She was grateful for the help, but something told her the chief's intentions to help them weren't as honorable as they sounded. Rarely did people do things for nothing. She wondered what the price of his help would be.

"What would you require in return for your help," Helen asked.

"Just that you and your companions stay for the feast of the redfrog moon for which our tribe is named and celebrate it with us. The celebration will be tomorrow night," Koma answered. "Please, follow Tara to your accommodations."

A young woman entered and held out a hand. Helen thanked Koma one more time before rising off of the cushion.

"Oh, by the way, I apologize for my son's actions in the pass. He is very protective of our lands as a young warrior should be. I will send a healer for your hand."

Helen thanked Koma again before following Tara to a smaller hut that was placed out of the way in a secluded part of the village. A healer soon came and put herbs and salves on Helen's hand where the lizard creature's claws had lacerated them. She then wrapped her hand in a clean white dressing. She told Helen to call her if she needed the dressing changed before walking out the hut's door. A short time later another Tara returned with a platter of fruits for them and water before leaving them alone.

"So what do you guys think?" Will asked plopping down on one of the many cushions in the hut.

"I don't like the chief," Ashley said bluntly. "He's a little too happy."

"You think everyone is too happy," Will commented. Ashley reached over from her cushion and punched him in the shoulder.

"I don't know. Everything seems kind of creepy here," Will said rubbing his shoulder.

"This part of the jungle does have a peculiar feeling to it," Helen agreed.

"Hey," Will started, "what were those things back in the pass that attacked you, Magnus."

"Those were the Slis. Two-tailed iguanas on steroids," Ashley answered before her mom could.

"It's strange seeing them here, though. Slis usually live in swamp like areas, not in caves," Helen said.

"Well, they've obviously changed their environment preferences," Will said back.

"What would make an abnormal suddenly leave their home," Ashley asked.

"Food shortage, environmental disaster, territorial competition, any number of things," Helen replied distractedly. She couldn't remember any natural or manmade disasters in this area lately and, if the hunting party was any indication, there was no shortage of food. Helen couldn't think of anything in this part of the hemisphere that could run the Slis off.

"It's a mystery, that's for sure," Will said as if he had read Helen's mind. They discussed the Slis and how they were going to catch it at great length until the sun outside the door of the hut began to fade.

"It's getting late," Ashley commented.

"I'll take first watch," Helen said standing from her cushion.

"Do you really think we need it? We're in a village. The warriors will keep an eye out for any predators that would wander into the village," Will said yawning.

"Experience has taught me to always be wary," Helen answered. "Even when you're in a village with warrior guards to protect you."

"In other words, mom doesn't trust the village folk," Ashley said as she spread a blanket on the floor for her to sleep on. Helen looked at Ashley and then to Will. He nodded his understanding before pulling a blanket over his body and closing his eyes.

Helen watched for a time as Will and Ashley's breathing slowed into sleep. She then stood next to the hut door and looked out. Everyone had gone to bed. Every once and a while a guard could be seen patrolling the edge of the village in the trees, but it gave little comfort. She still couldn't shake her feeling of unease and this village seemed to intensify it. Helen only wished she knew what was causing the feeling; it was frustrating not to know.

With a sigh, Helen slowly sat down just to the side of the door and waited for her watch to end.

The next day Helen woke. Today was the day that the young warriors of the Redfrog tribe would help them catch one of the Slis. Helen looked around. A fresh platter of food had been brought in that morning containing breads and fruits. A jug of fresh squeezed fruit juice sat beside it. Will and Ashley were already up and eating the food.

"Hey, Mom, you have to try this blue fruit and that fluffy bread. They are amazing," Ashley said after swallowing her mouth full of food.

"And the juice isn't half bad either," Will added. He handed Helen a cup of juice and a small plate filled with the fluffy bread and fruit. They ate in comfortable silence and only interrupted it to check details of the plan they had made to capture the Slis.

"I've been wondering," Will said thoughtfully. "What makes Slis abnormal? There are plenty of other large lizards in the world and, granted they may not have two tails, these Slis don't seem especially odd."

"Well," Helen started," Slis are smarter than your average reptile. They have the intelligence of a two year old human and the cunning of an ancient predator. They also have a special chemical in the skin on their back that, when treated right, makes a very powerful truth serum."

"And you want to take one home to study this chemical, right?" Will said.

"Yes," Helen answered.

"What do they look like exactly? I didn't get a good look at them in the cave," Will asked.

"Oh, I've got this," Ashley cut in. "They do look like giant iguanas, like a said last night, and they have two tails. They're usually a dark green color with dull red splotches all over their backs. That's where the chemical is." Helen nodded in agreement with her daughter.

Then Tara walked in through the door of the hut. She informed the group that the warriors were ready to leave. Helen, Will, and Ashley quickly finished the last of their breakfast, changed into suitable clothing, and grabbed their gear.

Within the next half hour, the plan had been explained for catching the Slis and the hunting party was off walking down the same path they had come the day before. A large cage had been built in the village the day before for the Slis. Four of the warriors walked in the front of the hunting party. Ashley was up with them talking to one of them on weapon efficiency and the art of being a warrior. The cage was in the middle carried by two warriors and Helen and Will walked behind it. Two warriors walked behind them as rear guard.

Helen looked around. The jungle was beautiful. It still held that slightly haunted air to it, like everything was tense, but it was beautiful none the less. Having Will by her was nice to. He seemed to make the world brighter where ever he was. She looked over at him; he looked back and smiled. He was naïve in a way, but his logic and down-to-earth way of thinking was a comfort to Helen. She was glad she had let him into the Sanctuary and equally glad he had finally accepted to stay.

"Do you really think that cage will hold the Slis? It looks kind of fragile for the creature I saw in the pass," Will said to Helen as he looked at the cage being carried in front of them.

"Yes and it will only be for a little while. The helicopter will bring a sturdier cage when it comes to pick us up," Helen answered.

"Ashley found a landing spot for the helicopter this morning. There is a clearing about two miles from the village where the chopper could land and have room to spare."

"Excellent," Helen replied.

The party walked on for another two hours before coming to the entrance of the pass. The warriors set themselves in pairs and quietly walked in. Torches were lit and the group walked in silence until they came to the small cavern.

The cage was set down at the entrance of the cavern. A warrior reached into his pack and pulled out a large chunk of boar meat which he threw into the back of the cage. The warriors then all climbed onto the ledge where they had fought the Slis the last time, motioning for Helen, Will, and Ashley to join them.

Helen lay down on the ledge by Will and peered over. Suddenly, the room went dark as the torches were extinguished. They waited in silence. Minutes ticked by, but all that could be heard was the gentle plopping of water as it fell from the walls. It was so quiet, Helen could almost hear her heart thumping and half wondered if anyone else could hear it to.

Then there was a scratching noise. A single Slis came out and cautiously crawled toward the cage. Every once and a while it would stop and test the air with its tongue before moving forward again. It came up to the lip of the cage and stopped. Helen imagined that if a reptile could look express suspicion, that was exactly what this Slis was expressing.

Light bloomed to Helen's right and balls of fire fell from the ledge. The balls of fire, launched by the warriors landed in a half moon around the Slis. The Slis hissed at the fire before backing the only way it could to escape the light, into the cage. With a whoosh, a trigger was pushed in the cage and the door flew up to catch the Slis.

The warriors whooped and cheered. Helen smiled and stood. They all exited the ledge. The warriors assumed their two person pattern and started to walk back up the pass. The two warriors who had before covered the cage with a large leather cover and were joined by two other warriors to carry the cage back. Helen, Will, and Ashley followed happy in the knowledge that they had finally caught their creature and would soon be going home.

When they returned to the village, they were greeted like heroes. The villagers applauded and rushed up to the warriors talking in their native language. Helen thought they were probably asking the warriors to tell them the story of the capture.

Helen looked around and saw evidence that they were already getting ready for the night's celebration. Large stones were being placed in a huge circle in the middle of the village clearing and wood put in in preparation for a bon fire. Food was being prepared and Helen could smell the distinctive smell of meat being cooked and bread being baked. People bustled everywhere.

Helen motioned for Will and Ashley to follow her before heading to their loaned hut. They talked and relaxed a while before Ashley left to help the warriors take the Slis to the clearing. Helen and Will stayed behind and talked; Will asking questions and Helen answering them.

Ashley came back an hour later with good news. The Slis was secured in its cage. She had also radioed the helicopter and it would come and pick up the Slis at around midnight that night. Their helicopter would come in the morning around six o'clock. She had told the pilot about the waiting guides and the pilot said he would take care of it. Helen thanked her. They sat in the hut all afternoon and relaxed.

Helen didn't tell Will or Ashley of her of her anxiety. It was driving her crazy, this feeling of impending doom, but she couldn't place a cause to it. The villagers seem perfectly nice and the Slis was caught. She eventually reasoned that the feelings were probably related to her lack of sleep and she was just getting paranoid in her tiredness, but in the back of her mind she doubted it.

When the sun started to set two women and two men came to the door of the hut. The women took Ashley and Helen and the men took Will to dress them up for the celebration. Will gave Helen a pleading look before allowing himself to be dragged off by the men. Helen smiled and she and Ashley followed the women into another hut much like the one they had been in where other women were getting ready for the feast.

The women dressed Ashley and Helen in traditional dresses: Ashley in dark blue and Helen in black. The dresses were basically a long piece of cloth that wrapped around the chest and over one shoulder with the mid section of the body showing. A long, light, flowing skirt dressed the bottom of the body and was tied at the hip. The whole dress was brightly beaded.

Then they braided beads into a few strands of the hair and painted a red frog on the lower back. Bangles were put on and bells attached to ankles. Heavily beaded necklaces were put on and flowers placed in the hair to finish off the look.

The sun was just about to completely set into night by the time Helen, Ashley, and the rest of the women with them were done dressing. A huge bon fire roared in the middle of the clearing and musicians started to play fast dancing music on their drums and flutes. Torches stood on tall poles around the clearing for extra illumination and bug control. Food in baskets and pitchers of drink were set everywhere.

The men stood by the bon fire waiting for the women to join them to dance. They were all bare with chests and wore long brightly beaded loin clothes. They had a large red frog painted on their chests. Beads and feathers were braded into their hair. Bells, larger than the ones the women wore, were attached to their ankles and huge bead bracelets covered their forearms.

The women rushed out of the hut and immediately began to dance. Will, whose white skin stood out against the other olive skinned men, came over to stand with Helen and Ashley who were watching the dancing. Helen looked at him. He was very muscular and had a great figure, the traditional dress giving him a sort of wild edge.

"Look at you all dress up to party," Ashley said smiling. Will blushed slightly and gave her a teasing glare. He didn't appear completely comfortable showing that much skin. Then one of the young tribe men came over and asked Ashley to dance in broken English. Ashley smiled at Will and her mom before saying yes and following him to dance.

Helen and Will stood in silence for a minute and watched the dancers. Will turned to Helen and opened his mouth before closing it and turning away again. He did this again before Helen took pity on him.

"Are you O.K., Will?" Helen asked.

"Fine, fine," Will said hurriedly. "You look… You look amazing." Helen turned to him and saw that he had the smallest of blushes. Helen, smiling, took his hand and led him out to the fire and the dancing. It took a bit, but after a while Helen and Will learned the moves to the traditional dance and were dancing with the tribe.

Three big booms on the largest drum stopped the dancing. The chief stood up and motioned for silence. When everyone was silent and seated he spoke,

"Greetings my tribe, welcome to the Redfrog Moon celebration!" The tribe cheered and fell silent again. "Tonight we celebrate the First Ones who gave us this land and gave us life. We honor them by dancing the sacred dances and eating the special food made just for this night. We also thank the First Ones for sending us such honored guests to celebrate with us. So, please, let us continue the celebration." The tribe gave one more cheer before standing and continuing dancing to the music.

Helen sat down on a log that had been brought from the jungle as seating. She watched the dancers dance around the fire. It was a beautiful dance to watch, with spinning and jumping. The bells rang in time to the drums and the skirts of the women flowed around them like water. Sometimes an opening would appear and she could see Will and Ashley dancing.

Will eventually saw her and broke away from the dancing. He was huffing a little from the dancing when he sat down.

"This is so much fun. We should have dances at the Sanctuary," Will commented.

"I don't think Bigfoot would appreciate that," Helen said back smiling.

"True," replied Will. They sat quietly besides each other. Helen looked up and saw the moon. It was fat and round, a full moon. It also had a curious red tint to it, something Helen had never seen before.

"Oh, you have to try this," Will said breaking through Helen's thoughts. He picked up one of the pitchers and poured a clear red drink into to cups. He handed one to her and kept the other for himself. "It's really good," Will added.

Helen raised the cup to her lips and took an experimental sip. A slightly fuzzy sensation filled her mouth before running up to her brain and down her spine, dissipating at the end. The taste itself was flowery and fruity.

Will watched her reactions. "It's good, isn't it?" Will asked smiling.

"It's definitely unique," Helen agreed before taking another sip.

The fire moved and danced before Helen's eyes as she watched it burn. She turned to Will and saw that he was still watching her. For some reason she couldn't explain, Helen found herself leaning close to him. He leaned towards her in turn. Will tilted his head and their lips met in a gentle kiss. Helen pulled back slightly and looked into Will's eyes. They were a deep, dark, inviting brown that seemed to pull her in.

Helen raised her hands and placed them behind Will's head. She gently pulled him close and kissed him again. He responded by putting his arms around her waist and kissing deeper. Helen's heart fluttered, the celebration forgotten. Warmth flooded her system and she held onto Will tighter.

Suddenly, something clicked in Helen's mind and reality came crushing down on her. She shouldn't be doing this. A voice argued in her mind to let it happen just this one night, but her logic said it would never work. Slowly Helen pulled away and took Will's arms away from her waist.

"What's wrong," he asked Helen. His eyes were dilated and he looked hurt at have having to stop kissing her. Helen's heart ached, but she knew she couldn't let this progress.

"I'm sorry Will," Helen said sadly. "I can't do this. You know why."

"Oh," Will muttered bowing his head. They sat in awkward silence for a minute before Will said he had to go do something and left. Helen watched him go. She wanted to kick herself for what just happened. She didn't know why she let her guard down; it had just hurt Will's feelings. She sat like this for a long time before Ashley and Will and came up to her.

"We're going to see the Slis off," Ashley informed her. Ashley was strapping her gun to her hips over the dress and turning on a flashlight. "We'll be back soon."

"Be careful," Helen said to them. Ashley said that she always was, smiled, and left with Will in her wake.

Helen sat and watched the dancing for another half hour. She was starting to get tired and just wanted to go back to the hut and sleep. She stood up ready to go, but Chief Koma caught her before she could slip away.

"Where are you going?" He asked cheerfully. "The celebration is not yet over."

"I think I'm just going to go back to the hut and sleep. The feast has been marvelous," Helen said holding the cup of water she was going to take back to the hut with her.

"But the celebrations not over," Koma said again.

"I know, but I think I've had enough dancing to last a life time, thank you," Helen said. She gave him a smile and turned to leave. A hand grabbed her arm, turning her back around.

"Come back to the feast, I insist," Koma said an edge entering his tone. Helen pulled back on his arm slightly and he jerked her back towards the dancing. The water in her cup sloshed and some landed on Koma's hand.

The color ran off his hand. The olive skin turned to white, translucent skin. The dancing immediately stopped and everything grew quiet only the crackling of the bon fire could be heard. The feeling of doom in Helen's stomach instantly grew to fear as the cheer and happiness drained from the villager's faces and Helen knew she was in trouble.

Everything came flooding to Helen. The reason the village seemed off to her. She had never seen any of them eat or drink. Helen shook Koma's hand off her arm and ran for the forest. Behind her she heard Koma shout for people to run after her.

Helen ran as fast as she could towards were the helicopter would be. Vines and brambles pulled at her skirt as she ran and roots rose up to trip her. The chopper was two miles away. Helen was in good shape, but even she couldn't run two miles at this pace. Breaking twigs behind her told her she was being followed. She needed a place to hide.

Helen stopped and looked around. She found a large tree with a hollow in it and squeezed into it as far as she could. She waited for the villagers following her to pass. Blood pounded in her ears and she fought to breathe slowly and quietly.

The followers came and Helen heard them searching for her. They talked in whispers and moved swiftly through the foliage. Then there was silence and Helen held her breath. A head poked around the opening to the hollow of her tree. A sharp toothed mouth smiled at her and a pointy fingered hand reached in, plucking her out of her hiding spot like it was nothing.

When she got a look at them, Helen was amazed at the transformation of the villagers. They were no longer the kind, gentle people who had initially helped them. They were now white translucent skinned abnormal. Their eyes were bloodshot and red; their bodies thin like skin on bones. They no longer had hair and their ears were slightly pointed. All of their teeth were razor sharp and pointed.

The man, or what was once a man, grabbed Helen's arm and started to drag her through the forest at an impossible speed. Though he didn't look it, the man was fast and it took everything Helen had to stay on her feet. He dragged her through the Jungle and the others followed beside him. They covered what had taken Helen minutes to run in less than 30 seconds.

The man led Helen back into the village and to the bon fire. None of the villagers had their makeup on any more. Their pale skin shone in the light of the fire. Koma walked up to her and bared his sharp teeth at her. Helen tried to back away, but the man holding her arm stopped her. With a shove he threw her onto her knees in front of Koma.

"Welcome back," Koma said to her smiling wickedly.

"Who are you?" Helen asked.

"I am Koma, king of the Half Ones," He replied. The villager creatures hissed and cheered.

"Who are the Half Ones," Helen asked.

"We are the Half Ones," Koma hissed as he gestured around him. "We are half vampires. The First Ones, the true vampires, turned our ancestors, but they didn't finish the process, so we retained some of our human traits." Koma studied his hand before looking back at Helen. Then he started to walk around Helen as he continued his story.

"We can live in the sun like humans and can reproduce like humans, but we have the need for blood, the speed, the looks, and the senses of a vampire. Unfortunately, we only live as long as you frail humans, but you are going to change that for us."

"What do you mean?" Helen asked stalling for time. She watched Koma as he walked around her.

"The blood that runs through your veins has true vampire blood in it and makes you impervious to the ravages of time."

Helen straightened in her kneeling position. Only a few people knew that information and she could think of no way Koma could have found out.

"You are wondering how we know of this, right?" Koma said as if reading her mind. "Long ago, one of our ancestors met a man named Nikola Tesla. He was trying to find the First Ones, but they had been exterminated by humans. Our ancestor became friends with him and got him to tell about the experiments The Five did with the true vampire blood. Tesla told us about you and we have been waiting to…meet you ever since."

"What do you plan to do with me?" Helen asked.

"We plan to feed on your blood, so we can live forever like the true vampires and rule the world in their place," Koma replied as he ran a finger tip along the side of Helen's neck. Helen's skin crawled where Koma touched her and ice ran down her spine. It took all of her control not to flinch away from his touch.

Faster than the eye can see, Koma hulled Helen to her feet. He gripped her arms so hard, Helen knew that if she survived this she would have bruises. Koma held her close to him and she could feel his hard body in front of her. Koma didn't give off any body heat and was clammy. Helen's insides turned from the feeling.

"You should be happy," Koma whispered in her ear. "Your sacrifice will give new life to us and start a new era of vampire rule."

"No," Helen said and tried to push away from Koma, but she couldn't. His arms were like steel cables. Slowly, Koma pulled Helen forward to him. He tilted his head and lightly kissed the side of Helen's neck.

Helen tried to breathe evenly as she felt Koma's cold lips leave another kiss. Her heart pounded and she was sure Koma could feel it to. She hoped there would be a last minute rescue like there had been in the past, but Helen felt that her luck had just run out. She wished she could say good bye to Ashley, Will, and Bigfoot one more time. A tear slid from the corner of one eye.

Koma opened his mouth and Helen tensed. When Koma's fangs sank in Helen gasped. Pain bloomed in her neck and shoulder before being replaced by a cold feeling that started to spread though her body. Helen could feel her heart pound faster as it tried frantically to fill her veins with blood. Perspiration broke out on Helen's forehead and her vision started to go black and white. Time slowed down and her limbs grew heavy. Soon only Koma's arms kept her from sinking to the ground.

"Stop!" A voice yelled. It sounded like it came from far away, as if in a dream. Helen barely realized that Koma had stopped. The voice said more, but Helen couldn't understand it. Koma took out his fangs and Helen realized she was being lowered to the ground.

Through the haze that clouded her vision, Helen saw a figure confronting Koma. The new figure looked familiar and was a man dressed in a black suit. He and Koma were circling each other, ready to fight. Koma made the first move. The two fought for what seemed like forever. The sounds were hideous and made Helen's head hurt just listening. In the end, the new man had won. Helen couldn't hear well, but it sounded like he challenged any other person to fight him. When nobody moved, he walked over to her.

Helen tried to move, but found that she couldn't. She looked up at the new person and found she recognized him.

"Nikola?" she whispered weakly.

"Nice to see you to," He said back. "I would love to have a good long chat with you, but I think your place would be a lot nicer and a lot less hostile." Gently, Nikola placed one hand under her shoulders and one behind her knees. He lifted her easily in his arms and ran into the jungle.

He ran for a time though the vegetation before stopping by a tree.

"Your neck is bleeding. The scum bag that did this to you didn't finish properly," Nikola said to Helen. "I have to heal the wound, but I have to go into my vampire phase to do it. My saliva will close the holes. Will you let me do that?"

Helen looked up into her long time friend's eyes. She saw nothing but concern; his normal mask of sarcastic disregard gone. Slowly she nodded her head.

Nikola's fine features grew ragged before Helen's eyes as he turned into a vampire the vampire's blood had unlock within him during the experiments long ago. He carefully bent over and gently ran his tongue over the puncture wounds in Helen's neck. Slowly, the bleeding stopped and the skin knitted together like nothing had happened.

"There you go. Good as new," Nikola said smiling.

Helen tried to return the smile, but was too weak. The next several minutes were a blur to Helen as she faded in and out of consciousness. She saw trees and leaves fly by; then a clearing before closing her eyes. People were shouting and there was a loud whooshing noise. She felt herself being lifted onto something and straps put around her. She opened her eyes and saw Ashley kneeling over her and shouting something.

"Ashley," Helen breathed before drifting into darkness.

"What do we do?" Ashley asked frantically. They had escaped the cursed jungle in the helicopter and had taken the Sanctuary's private jet home. Helen was hooked up to IV drips and a vitals machine.

"I may not be a doctor, but her blood pressure is way too low," Will said looking at the unconscious Helen.

"So, what do we do?" Ashley asked again.

"We need to give her blood," Nikola answered plainly.

"And give her whose?" Ashley asked rounding on him. "It's not like she has a very common blood type."

Bigfoot entered the room carrying a tray with coffee on it, grunting softly. Will took a cup of coffee and thanked him. Bigfoot nodded and walked over to Helen's bedside. He took damp cloth and began dabbing her pale forehead.

"Hey, Bigfoot, does Magnus keep any packs of her own blood around?" Will asked with a sudden thought.

"Yes," Bigfoot replied.

"Could you get a couple please?" Bigfoot grunted his understanding and left the room. A few minutes later he came back carrying a few blood bags. With Nikola reading out of a medical instruction manual, Will and Ashley got the blood bags in. Immediately, Helen's face began to return to normal color and her blood pressure rose to its proper place.

A few hours later Helen opened her eyes and was greeted by happy faces. Ashley was so happy, she bent over and gave her mom a hug which was affectionately returned.

"Nikola, what are you doing here? And why were you in that jungle?" Helen asked her friend standing at the foot of her bed.

"Oh, you know, I was just out looking for others of my kind. I heard a rumor that there were some vampires hanging out in the Central American rain forest. Good thing I came when I did," Nikola said examining his nails.

"Thank you, Nikola," Helen said.

"Well I must be off. I've got people to see and places to be. I'll see you later Helen," Nikola said bowing and leaving the room.

"I'm going to make sure he doesn't get lost," Ashley said and left the room.

Will stood next to Helen's bed and said nothing for a while. Helen could tell something was bothering him and waited for him to share.

"Um, about last night," Will started awkwardly, "when we kissed."

"It was a side effect from the drink," Helen stated. She knew that wasn't the case and she suspected Will knew, but he smiled and nodded, letting the subject drop.

"So what happened when Ashley and I left the party?" Will asked folding his arms.

"Well, the villagers turned into half vampire, half human hybrids and wanted to drink my blood so they could live forever and rule the world. They almost succeeded, but Nikola saved me," Helen said.

"Just another day for the great Helen Magnus, right?" Will teased. Helen gave Will a fake glare, making Will smile.

"So what happened to you and Ashley?" Helen asked. Will told her that they had met the helicopter and loaded the Slis onboard. The helicopter was just about to leave when Nikola had burst through the jungle carrying her in his arms. They had then piled into the chopper and flew back to the Sanctuary.

"Sounds like quite an adventure we've had," Helen commented.

"That's for sure," Will agreed. "Well, I've got things to attend to and you need your rest. If you don't need anything I think I'll go now."

"I don't need anything, thank you." Will nodded smiled and nodded turning he walked through the door. Helen watched him go before settling deeper into her bed and falling into a much needed sleep. She was safe and she was home.


End file.
